4 ms·

I have a hard time believing that everyone wearing a mask when interacting doesn't inhibit a disease transmitted via vapor in our breath.

btilly 7y ago
There is actually a debate about this. A bad mask (eg a bandanna) means less virus gets out, but it is more likely to get out in the form of a fine aerosol that hangs in the air for hours. On the opposite end it is a reminder not to touch your face (prevents transmission from your hands) but won't stop you from breathing in an aerosol. Likely still a net win, but kinda a hard thing to do good research on. There is no doubt that masks that are designed to block things the size of viruses help. Just issues about who is the highest priority to get them when they are in short supply.
- xkapastel 7y ago
  Aerosol is not any more likely to get out than not wearing anything. And a bad mask prevents droplets from getting in as well.
  - btilly 7y ago
    I can't find the source on which I based my aerosol comment on, but the idea was that a large droplet which would have fallen gets trapped by the cloth. When it gets through, it comes out as a fine mist. Given that I can't find it repeated, I suspect that it may be misinformation on my part.
- erik 7y ago
  > A bad mask (eg a bandanna) means less virus gets out, but it is more likely to get out in the form of a fine aerosol Do you have a reference for this? I've only ever heard of aerosolization primarily being a concern around people on breathing assistance equipment.
  - btilly 7y ago
    I can't find the source I saw it in, but the idea is this. If you cough, large droplets coat the inside of the cloth, and then are forced through the weave of the cloth and come out as small droplets. The smaller the droplet, the better it hangs out in the air.
- amiga_500 7y ago
  > Just issues about who is the highest priority to get them when they are in short supply. The root cause is offshoring safety critical manufacturing: https://www.wired.com/story/decades-offshoring-led-mask-shortage-pandemic/ https://www.wired.com/story/decades-offshoring-led-mask-shor...
- Ensorceled 7y ago
  Who is debating this? I haven't seen a reliable "con" side of this debate, they are all weird "people will take less care", "cloth masks are not as good as N95", "people will wear them poorly and the mask won't be as effective". These are all "perfect is the enemy of good" fallacies, not "debate". Also, how does a bad mask increase aerosol? That makes no sense.
  - btilly 7y ago
    See http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2020/04/commentary-masks-all-covid-19-not-based-sound-data http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2020/04/commentar... for a reliable "con" side of the debate. Note in particular that cloth masks were tried and failed during the Spanish flu epidemic.
rocha 7y ago
My understanding is that the main transmission medium is respiratory droplets.

btilly 7y ago

There is actually a debate about this. A bad mask (eg a bandanna) means less virus gets out, but it is more likely to get out in the form of a fine aerosol that hangs in the air for hours. On the opposite end it is a reminder not to touch your face (prevents transmission from your hands) but won't stop you from breathing in an aerosol. Likely still a net win, but kinda a hard thing to do good research on. There is no doubt that masks that are designed to block things the size of viruses help. Just issues about who is the highest priority to get them when they are in short supply.

xkapastel 7y ago
Aerosol is not any more likely to get out than not wearing anything. And a bad mask prevents droplets from getting in as well.
- btilly 7y ago
  I can't find the source on which I based my aerosol comment on, but the idea was that a large droplet which would have fallen gets trapped by the cloth. When it gets through, it comes out as a fine mist. Given that I can't find it repeated, I suspect that it may be misinformation on my part.
erik 7y ago
> A bad mask (eg a bandanna) means less virus gets out, but it is more likely to get out in the form of a fine aerosol Do you have a reference for this? I've only ever heard of aerosolization primarily being a concern around people on breathing assistance equipment.
- btilly 7y ago
  I can't find the source I saw it in, but the idea is this. If you cough, large droplets coat the inside of the cloth, and then are forced through the weave of the cloth and come out as small droplets. The smaller the droplet, the better it hangs out in the air.
amiga_500 7y ago
> Just issues about who is the highest priority to get them when they are in short supply. The root cause is offshoring safety critical manufacturing: https://www.wired.com/story/decades-offshoring-led-mask-shortage-pandemic/ https://www.wired.com/story/decades-offshoring-led-mask-shor...
Ensorceled 7y ago
Who is debating this? I haven't seen a reliable "con" side of this debate, they are all weird "people will take less care", "cloth masks are not as good as N95", "people will wear them poorly and the mask won't be as effective". These are all "perfect is the enemy of good" fallacies, not "debate". Also, how does a bad mask increase aerosol? That makes no sense.
- btilly 7y ago
  See http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2020/04/commentary-masks-all-covid-19-not-based-sound-data http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2020/04/commentar... for a reliable "con" side of the debate. Note in particular that cloth masks were tried and failed during the Spanish flu epidemic.

rocha 7y ago

My understanding is that the main transmission medium is respiratory droplets.